E008 - Personalized Preboarding & Why You Need the Buddy System (with Kaira Boston)

The Employee Onboarding Podcast

In this episode of the Employee Onboarding Poscast, we sit down with Kaira Boston, Program Manager for Dunnhumby, a global customer data science platform.
In this conversation, Kaira shares her perspective on employee onboarding from the viewpoint of a project manager.

We dive into the importance of preboarding, which Kaira considers one of the most critical elements of the onboarding process. Preboarding, as Kaira explains, is the period between when an employee accepts an offer and their first day on the job. During this time, Kaira stresses the importance of setting clear expectations and building a connection with new hires.

We also explore the benefits of onboarding buddies, which Kaira believes add a level of personalization and support for new hires. As someone who's spent her entire 20-year corporate career in project management, Kaira is passionate about people management, and it shows in her approach to onboarding.

Tune in to this episode to learn from Kaira's wealth of experience, as she shares insights and best practices for effective employee onboarding.
Whether you're a new hire, a hiring manager, or a seasoned HR professional, this conversation offers valuable takeaways for anyone looking to improve their onboarding process.

Chapters

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. Kaira Boston, Program Manager at Dunnhumby (00:01:05)

3. Top 5 ingredients of a great onboarding process (00:01:54)

4. How to pick an onboarding buddy (00:03:36)

5. Kaira's personal onboarding experience (00:04:22)

6. How to start creating an onboarding process (00:05:29)

7. How long does it take to build a good onboarding process? (00:06:27)

8. How does technology play a part in interating onboarding process improvements? (00:07:24)

9. How do you personalize the onboarding process? (00:09:47)

10. How do you support onboarding in the first few months? (00:10:53)

11. How has your onboarding experience changed with the different companies you've worked with? (00:12:14)

12. Does good onboarding increase retention? (00:13:32)

13. How has your thinking changed around onboarding? (00:15:22)

14. Outro (00:17:02)